Emergency Connection-Teachers and Police
Statistics show it’s in the first couple of minutes of an attack scenario or threat that people get hurt or injured. In recent years, schools in the US have become a frequent target.
The solution developed by COPsync may enhance school security during emergency.
The COPsync911 teacher and faculty-driven school safety tool improves communication between law enforcement and schools and reduces law enforcement response times, all while leveraging technology to minimise cost.
According to the company’s website, the system is a real-time threat-alert service that provides the critical things you need to inform first responders when the school building is threatened or under attack.
The new app is being used in nearly 50 school districts across Massachusetts and alerts police to where exactly in the school help is needed when teachers use it.
Brandon Flanagan of CopSync said it makes communication faster and more effective.
“All they have to do is double click on that application. 15 seconds or less it’s sent directly to law enforcement officers in the field and the dispatch communications center,” he said.
In a mock active shooter scenario, after the teacher uses the app to alert police, they can continue updating it to give officers real-time information, according to fox25boston.com.
James DiGianvittorio, head of the Massachusetts Chiefs Association, said this technology would help police with the one primary goal when dealing with an active shooter: “You need to get in there as quick as possible to attack the threat”.
The cost of the CopSync 911 for school district is about $3,000 per school and there is also a cost to the police department for the program they need. Another 50 school districts in the state are looking to add it.
65% of public schools in the USA recorded one or more incidents of violence. This totals more than 750,000 crimes for the 2013-2014 school year, according to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2015 report.
